The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) renamed Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) as internet gaming licensees (IGLs) in October 2023, Pagcor chairman and chief executive officer Alejandro Tengco announced at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas1. Tengco said the change accompanied a relicensing effort for all offshore gaming companies accredited or licensed to operate in the Philippines1.
"This is the first time we are announcing this publicly, we will be using this new expression IGL from now on"
Pagcor issued "Internet Gaming License Regulations" in July 2023, revising the earlier "Offshore Gaming Regulations," which the report described as an attempt to tighten regulation after reported violations by POGO firms1. Tengco said 55 to 65 licenses would be issued and that service provider licenses would be discontinued, leaving only the IGL license1. He said Pagcor expected to publish a full list of newly licensed IGLs by the end of October 2023, and that the list would include the web addresses of all legal online gaming websites1.
Speaking to a House of Representatives committee in February 2024, Tengco described the renaming as part of a "cleansing process" begun in September and October 2023 that also changed the structure and regulations, saying the POGO name "had become too negative"2. He said there were close to 300 licensees in 2019 at the height of POGO operations, and 75 remained as of the end of 20232. At its peak with 300 licensees, POGO generated P7 billion in license fees; with 75 licensees at the end of 2023, it still generated P5.2 billion in such fees, and Pagcor revenues from POGOs were 5 to 6 percent of the agency's total income2.
| Point in time | Licensees | License fees generated |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 peak | Close to 300 | P7 billion |
| End 2023 | 75 | P5.2 billion |
Sources: Inquirer2
The renaming is also recorded in later reporting on the industry's wind-down. Rappler reported that all POGOs, "renamed as internet gaming licensees since October 2023," should be out of business in the Philippines by the end of 2024 under a total ban announced by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.3. A separate Rappler account said Pagcor chief Alejandro Tengco renamed POGOs as internet gaming licensees or IGLs by October 2023 "due to the many controversies surrounding POGOs," and that the change "weeds out service providers"4.
What it means for players
The renaming did not create a new kind of license for players to use; it changed the label and the licensing structure for companies serving offshore customers. Under the IGL rules, service provider licenses were discontinued, so the companies that supplied customer service, IT support, gaming software platforms and live studio streaming were no longer separately licensed1. Pagcor said the list of newly licensed IGLs would include the web addresses of legal online gaming websites, which is the reference point for checking whether an offshore site is licensed1. The Philippines' gambling regulators and licenses guide sets out who licenses what in the region, and the First Cagayan license page covers the separate Cagayan Economic Zone Authority regime that predates POGOs4. For the current status of offshore operations, see the guide to the Philippines' ban on offshore gaming and whether you can gamble in the Philippines.
What happens next
Pagcor said in October 2023 that it expected to publish the full list of newly licensed IGLs by the end of that month1. No further dated steps on the IGL licensing round are given in the reports cited here.
Sources5 sources
- Name change: No more POGO, just IGL | Philstar.com, philstar.com
- House panel OKs 2 measures on Pogo ban, newsinfo.inquirer.net
- Marcos government to cancel POGO workers’ visas by October, rappler.com
- Before Duterte's POGO, Cagayan had 'i-Gaming.' Where did it go wrong?, rappler.com
- A shady POGO rises fast, law enforcers scramble to pin it down, rappler.com
